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Ceremonial axe

Début 19e siècle

Musée des Confluences

Musée des Confluences
Lyon, France

In hereditary kingdoms, sovereigns accumulate unique goods that they exchange
exclusively among themselves. These treasures are exhibited during ceremonies and
serve to make the population aware of the power and influence of a centralised power,
the possessors of which claim is given by the gods.

Until the 19th century, this object of precious stone, a true treasure, only circulated among the large chiefdoms.

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  • Title: Ceremonial axe
  • Date created: Début 19e siècle
  • Location: Oceania (New Caledonia - Melanesia)
  • Physical Dimensions: H: 51 cm; L: 23 cm; D: 12 cm
  • Provenance: Donated by Émile Guimet to the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Lyon in 1912
  • Subject Keywords: extra-European ethnography, human sciences, permanent exhibition, kanak
  • Rights: Musée des Confluences (Lyon, France) © Benoît Lapray
  • External Link: Learn more at the museum website
  • Medium: coconut fibre, wood, shell, jade, coconut, fruit bat fur, tapa
Musée des Confluences

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